The start of a new year is the perfect time to take inventory of what went right for your independent mortgage business in the past 12 months — and what you can improve on! When it comes to marketing and communication with your borrowers, referral partners and potential clients, we’ve compiled a helpful checklist of important areas for you to review before the new year gets in full swing.
By honestly assessing how you’re doing in the following key areas of your marketing efforts, you’ll be able to address any issues before the market heats up in the spring — and be in a perfect position to start enjoying your most successful year yet.
- Review your marketing collateral. Don’t risk looking out-of-touch to prospective clients by sending out marketing materials that contain the wrong year, old contact information or dated references. Take a few minutes to look over your materials and touchpoints and give them a quick update if needed, including:
• Website
• Email campaigns and signatures
• Social media page profiles
• Business cards
• Brochures
• Flyers
Make sure you’re stocked up on your most-utilized printed materials and consider whether it might be time to refresh your brand — it’s usually less expensive and time-consuming than you think.
- Take a look at your digital presence. Your website and social media pages are the first places prospective clients are likely to look. Now’s the ideal time to make sure you’re making the most of your online channels. Don’t forget about the importance of asking for – and highlighting – feedback from your clients and partners:
• Consider collecting online reviews – try to focus on sending clients only to one or two platforms so you can build a more robust and concentrated presence
• Share customer testimonials on social media – what your past clients have to say will move the needle for future clients more than your promotional copy
• Make sure the content you post is a balanced mix of these elements:
Success stories and testimonials
Educational/informational content
More straightforward “sales” messaging – what you offer and why someone should work with you
Personal content that gives a glimpse into your human side, whether it’s your family, pets or community involvement
• Use photos and video — these are guaranteed “scroll stoppers” that tend to engage an audience more than text-based messages
- Check your email strategy. Email is still a proven method for connecting with homebuyers — especially targeted campaigns aimed at current and prospective clients. Be sure to review your contact information in your signature, as well as on your website and social media pages to make sure it’s correct. Your email content should reflect common concerns in today’s housing market (without being too specific about market trends that may only be temporary).
- Think about your marketing budget. It’s tempting to just stick with your tried-and-true marketing techniques, but the beginning of the year is the ideal time to test out a new tactic! For example, it’s free to ask some of the clients you’re friendly with to create video testimonials that you can put on social media, and then allocate some dollars toward promoting posts to target audiences to increase profile views. You’ll be surprised how far a little extra spending can take you!
- Clean up your database. Your database and the maintenance of it is your most precious asset for continued success and expanding your business through referrals. A new year is an ideal time to do some clean-up, weed out old information and recommit to a plan where you reach out to your contacts on a regular basis.
Make a New Year’s resolution to take an honest look at where you stand with your marketing — and more importantly, where you can improve. It’s easy to see what’s been working and what hasn’t. Be open to trying new things and exploring different ways to freshen up your communications. Staying in front of your network will help make you their go-to when they’re ready to make a move (or know someone who is).
So prepare now and get ready to be perfectly positioned for the upcoming busy spring buying season!
Are you interested in kicking off the new year with a career in the wholesale mortgage industry? Our team at BeAMortgageBroker.com is here to help you every step of the way.
